1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a simplified, miniature camera, and more particularly to an improved miniature camera permitting better-controlled film feed and positioning.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is known, and commercially available, a type of camera described as a miniature camera, which, according to the recent trade definition of the term `miniature,` is a camera, which is small, light, and has as simple a construction as possible, and which, although usually permitting only one or two shutter settings, and having a limited technical range compared to other types of camera, offers the advantages of extreme ease of manipulation and of very low cost.
With a miniature camera, loading and unloading of film, as well as development thereof, is effected at a camera store, or similar location, and the photographer simply receives a camera complete with loaded film, and after exposing all the frames of the film takes the camera still containing the loaded film back to the camera store, where, after extraction of the film the camera containing a fresh film is returned to the photographer, in other words the photographer need only be concerned with actually taking photographs. Because it is necessary to take the camera to a store each time a complete roll of film is exposed, it is desirable, and common practice, for photographers to possess more than one miniature camera, a necessary condition for this being, of course, that the price per camera be sufficiently low.
A miniature camera is usually constituted by a flat case housing a shutter means, a lens system, chambers for accommodation of a feed spool carrying unexposed film and of a take-up spool for wind-up of exposed film, simple means, for example lever actuated sprocket means, for actuation of one or both these spools, and a passageway providing communication between the spool chambers, and permitting successive frames of a loaded film to be carried from the supply spool to the take-up spool, and into a position for exposure, in line with the optical axis of the camera lens system.
A problem associated with miniature camera construction is that while constructional elements must be kept to a minimum, to permit low purchase cost, which is one of the main advantages of the miniature camera, the camera must, of course, ensure the production of good-quality photographs in a certain range of light conditions, i.e., it must be ensured that film is held in a correct position and alignment for exposure. To keep camera construction as simple as possible, film may be simply held under tension between the feed spool and take-up spool. However, in this case there is a problem either that there is a tendency for film to ride up out of a position for exposure because the passageway between the spool chambers is not completely enclosed, or, if the passageway is enclosed at the tip, bottom, front, and rear, that loading of film becomes more difficult and adds to the cost of keeping the camera, which defeats one of the original purposes of the camera. Another problem frequently encountered when film is positioned in this manner is that insufficient tension is maintained, and some frames may be displaced slightly from a correct position for exposure, or even allowed to move laterally to a slight extend during exposure.
It is accordingly a main object of the present invention to provide a miniature camera having an improved construction.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a miniature camera requiring a minimum number of elements to ensure correct positioning of a film for exposure.
It is another object of the invention to provide a miniature camera wherein upward or downward movement of a film in an exposure position is prevented, but which permits simple, straight forward loading of film thereinto.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a miniature camera wherein requisite tension is imparted to film to prevent unrequired lateral movement thereof.